8/28/10 Vendor Reviews - Long, but hopefully helpful!

Hi Cleveland-Area Brides!

I didn’t really post on The Knot during our planning process, but it was so helpful while we were planning our wedding.  The boards were especially helpful for suggestions, advice, etc.  I looked at the Cleveland/Northeast Ohio boards for vendor recommendations early on and actually found out about and booked a photographer from another bride’s vendor review.  We live in NC but had our wedding in Cleveland, so this was very helpful.

Our wedding was Saturday August 28 – it was perfect!  The weather was beautiful, everything went smoothly and there was not a single hitch in the ceremony or reception (at least not that I knew of!), and our family and friends had a great time!

Here are the *AMAZING* vendors we worked with – I would recommend each one of them in a heartbeat.  Hope this information helps some of you in your planning!

Reception Site Rental & Catering:  The Pavilion at St. Clarence (North Olmsted), hosted by Ahern Catering – A+

Lucy did a phenomenal job and always answered my many, many questions promptly.  Ahern is the point of contact for all St. Clarence facilities.  The moment I saw the indoor/outdoor pavilion I knew that’s where we’d have our reception.  It is very rustic looking, but when you dress it up for a wedding (white tablecloths, chair covers, white fabric/lights, etc.) it looks amazing.  We got so many compliments on it and it is so roomy – it’s just your reception in the standalone building.  All of the doors come off to the deck so people can go outside as well.  And when it’s dark and only the strung white lights are on above it is magical   I didn’t find many pictures of it before booking (mainly from Ahern’s website), so if you’re interested in having your reception there and want to see some pictures of an actual reception, I don’t mind sending some out.  Just email me.  Ahern’s food was great (buffet) – we had top round carved beef, champagne chicken, Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce, and the usual salad/rolls/potatoes/veggies.  The food was probably some of the best wedding food I’ve had.  You can also bring your own liquor for your reception.  We had a full open bar and Ahern provided the bar wash.  The servers and bartenders all did a great job.  Their prices are pretty in line with other area reception venues, but with being able to bring your own liquor you can really save some $.  I loved the St. Clarence Pavilion and it was a PERFECT place for a wedding reception.  If you’re interested in an outdoor-type venue, this is a nice middle ground (stand-alone building, but doors open to deck overlooking a wooded area).  There is no air conditioning, but with the big ceiling fans on and doors open, the temperature was perfect.  As a side note – I went and dropped off items at the Pavilion the day before (centerpiece items for Finishing Touch to set up, guest book/frame, candles for tables outside, card box, cake cutting stuff, bathroom basket, etc.).  I did a quick walk through and looked in all areas – there were some random items in the back nook by the fireplace…if you have your reception here, try to go the day before and take a quick peek through for random items – I just moved them to the back room behind the bar area.

Decorating Company:  The Finishing Touch (Fairview Park) – A

We used The Finishing Touch (familiar with Ahern and the Pavilion at St. Clarence) for our chair covers, table runners, and decorating – they did fabric/white lights around the bar and stage, white lights on the deck, a white candle arrangement in the fireplace, and set up our centerpieces (I diy’ed these).  They truly made the reception look magical!  They were really easy to work with and Gail and Carolyn are very friendly and helpful.  We added the decorating of the head table a few days before, which they did not end up doing (not sure why, but not a big deal) and I have emailed about a refund for that.  Their prices for chair covers are the best.   I was happy we chose them – the white fabric/lights made it truly “rustic elegant.”

DJ:  Nyte Flyte Entertainment – DJ Troy Singer (Mansfield/Columbus) – A++++

We saw DJ Troy at a wedding 3 years ago and my future husband said “when we get married that is who we’re booking.”  Jeff at Nyte Flyte was great to work with, answered questions, etc.  Troy is part of the “Grand Deluxe” package – a little more expensive, but WORTH EVERY EXTRA DOLLAR.  We wanted to spend money on things that would impact our guests’ time at our reception – and the DJ truly makes or breaks your reception.  Troy is actually the MC and another DJ plays the music.  He is very interactive, fun, social and gets the crowd involved.  We have gotten tons of compliments on him – everybody says how much fun they had and how great the DJ was!  The dance floor was packed (young and old alike) and at the end of the night there were even “one more song” chants.  He really led us through the night – from the phenomenal job he did on our wedding party introductions (my husband even had a “special” announcement for us that we pre-planned with Troy), to getting dinner service started, to the cake cutting and formal dances, to the bouquet/garter toss, and then dancing the night away.  I can’t say enough about Troy, except to book him ASAP if you want a memorable and fun reception that your guests will be talking about long after.  We even got compliments on Troy from our other vendors

Photographer: Todd Hunter Carlson Photography (Mentor) – A++++

Todd is great to work with - he's the one I found from a Knot vendor review (so thank you fellow bride from a year ago!).  He did a wonderful job - and is a lot of fun.  His style is more photojournalistc and his pricing is a-la-carte.  Todd runs around like crazy and takes pictures from all angles.  My package with him didn't include an album or prints – figured I can do those on my own – but 2 photographers with all day coverage and he releases the rights on the pictures (gives you a form so you can print them at walgreens or whatever - otherwise they won't print them without the form).  I love Todd's style.  Initially I emailed like 10 photographers about pricing/availability, was going to call 3 or 4, and then meet with 2 – but Todd was my first phone call and we just clicked, so I didn't call anybody else.  Todd also met us at our reception venue to get a look at it before during one of our trips to Cleveland and came to the rehearsal to get a good idea about the church pictures.  He did a great job, went completely above and beyond, and I could not have asked for more. 

Videographer:  Coppersmith Productions (Parma) – A++++

Lee did an amazing job.  He was with us the whole day (prep, ceremony, limo time, reception), is super professional, has top of the line equipment, and really captures the feel of our wedding and reception.  Along with the full-length video, Lee actually did 2 shorter video clips to songs (one of the prep/ceremony and one of the party bus) which were great to send out to friends and family (who probably won't watch the full video).  He came to our rehearsal as well to check out the church for how he wanted to do the video.  I honestly wasn't going to have a videographer (because of the cost, and figured the pictures would be enough), but trust me - there are so many moments you miss!  There are things people keep mentioning that I had no idea even happened!  Everyone says it's worth it - and it is.  I would recommend Lee – he also went completely above and beyond and I couldn’t have asked for more.

Cake:  Bella Fiore (Strongsville) – A++++

I looked at other bakers on the west side and Pat’s were the best prices for the quality you get (was able to get fun flavors/fillings for less $ than the basic choc/white/marble with white/choc mousse filling at the other bakers).  I had the following kinds: 2 cakes (small 3-tier for cutting at the top of cupcake tower and 2-tier Cleveland Browns grooms cake) - white cake/raspberry mousse, choc fudge cake/choc ganache; couples cake which we took home – cassata; and tons of cupcakes – white cake/strawberry, lemon cake/lemon, choc cake/peanut butter mousse, red velvet cake/buttercream.  All had buttercream frosting.  All were apparently delicious because they were gone before I even had a chance to have any (besides my bite when we cut the cake).  The setup and cake decorations (white swiss dot with some purple sugar flowers here and there) were perfect.  My hubby is a HUGE Browns fan – and Pat made an awesome Cleveland Browns Grooms cake (I didn’t tell him about it, so he was surprised at the reception and LOVED IT).  If you’d like Pat’s information, just send me an email.

Florist: Hosanna Design - A++ 

Helene is great - was a recommendation from another friend.  She is super sweet, easty to work with, and has the lowest prices I've found for quality and service.  I got my bouquet (huge and gorgeous), 1 toss bouquet, 8 bm bouquets, 8 gm bouts, 6 female corsages (mothers, grandmother, readers), and 3 male bouts (fathers).  I told her my colors were purple and to use whatever was in season - she did purple hydrangeas and purple/white roses with grass loops – then hubby and I had white orchids too. 

Transportation/Limo: All Occasions Limo (Mentor) – A

They did a good job - were on time, limo bus was clean and roomy, and they give you the "entertainment book discount" of 50%.  Went to our 3 areas for pictures, dropped us off at the hotel to freshen up, and then took us to the reception.

Bridesmaid Dresses:  David’s Bridal (Strongsville location) – D

David’s Bridal is the worst.  Everybody knows this.  Dress styles are OK, but obviously grossly overpriced.  Unfortunately they are the most convenient (locations all across US, sizes available, etc.).  The sales lady we worked with was rude and not very helpful at all (maybe because I wasn’t buying my wedding dress there???).  

Miscellaneous:

• Photo Guestbook – Picaboo: Made a 20 page 8-½  x 11 hard cover custom guestbook.  Can design it online with their software – super easy.  I had a coupon code for a free guestbook, so only paid the $9 shipping.  It turned out beautifully.
• Centerpieces – DIY:  Couldn’t bring myself to pay for fresh floral centerpieces or to rent them (all $25+) for 22 tables.  Bought mirrors, glass votive holders, and white votives at Ikea; clear gems at Hobby Lobby; and single large white spider mums at Giant Eagle (Rocky River).  Talked to Dora and she set them aside for the previous week, I picked them up Friday afternoon, assembled the centerpieces in about ½ an hour, and then took everything to St. Clarence.  Centerpieces looked beautiful and cost about $7 each.